“Pfft — “
The crisp, bell-like laughter of a young girl echoed from behind. Lin Huanhuan used her spiritual energy to dry her clothes and whipped her head around, her eyes nearly overflowing with rage.
“I won’t laugh. I really won’t,” Ye Jinxiu said, quickly stifling her voice, though the upward curve of her lips betrayed her delighted mood. Pranks truly were enjoyable; she finally understood why Lin Huanhuan used to do them so often.
Lin Huanhuan clenched her fists and asked in a low voice, “So what exactly is going on? Did the two of you intentionally plan to make me look like a fool?!”
Hearing this, Lü Ye’s heart skipped a beat. ‘This is bad,’ she thought. She opened her mouth to explain that it had nothing to do with her, only to realize that Lin Huanhuan’s gaze was fixed solely on Ye Jinxiu, never landing on her once.
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately understood that these words were directed at Ye Jinxiu. Since it didn’t involve her, she quickly shut her mouth to avoid drawing Lin Huanhuan’s displeasure.
Ye Jinxiu felt somewhat speechless. ‘She’s being a bit too unreasonable.’
After a moment of thought, Ye Jinxiu said, “Didn’t I just ask if you were prepared? Did you forget so quickly that you said a small secret realm like this didn’t require any concern? Since you were so confident, I simply planned to see what the source of that confidence was.”
“You certainly didn’t disappoint me. You gave me quite a good show.”
“Is that even the same thing?!”
Lin Huanhuan actually realized it was her own fault, but she remained stubborn. “Even if I said that, couldn’t you have given me a reminder?”
“I don’t know what’s inside, but as someone who researched this place beforehand, how could you not know? You definitely wanted to be malicious and see me make a fool of myself, right? That’s definitely it!”
“Whatever you say.”
Ye Jinxiu rolled her eyes elegantly and didn’t linger on the topic. “Although the Xuan Shui Secret Realm isn’t considered dangerous within the sect, it isn’t a place you can just enter and loot as you please. At the very least, some preparation is needed.”
She wrapped her hand in spiritual energy, walked over to a small clump of fluorescent blue grass, and plucked a stalk. The small grass quickly shrank into a ball, looking as if it were about to explode.
“The plants here are very magical. They are all composed of water, and they will burst the moment they are touched by an outside object. However, they aren’t hard to deal with.”
She unhurriedly wrapped it in spiritual energy. The water ball exploded inside the barrier, but not a single drop of liquid leaked out. She casually tossed the ball of water aside, where it dispersed and merged into the surrounding plants.
“It’s as simple as that. As long as you wrap the limbs you need for contact in spiritual energy, these plants won’t sense you as quickly. The explosion speed will drop significantly, giving you enough time to react.”
“These plants usually coexist peacefully, but once a companion ‘dies’ nearby, they will immediately merge that companion into themselves and grow larger.”
“Interesting.” Lin Huanhuan nodded thoughtfully.
Ye Jinxiu continued walking forward while wrapping herself in spiritual energy to block out the abnormally humid water vapor. Lin Huanhuan followed suit and immediately felt much more comfortable.
Ye Jinxiu glanced at her and nodded approvingly. “You aren’t too stupid. This environment might look like ordinary dampness, but it isn’t. If you stay here for a long time without using spiritual energy to isolate yourself, you’ll contract a special wind-cold illness.”
“This condition is hard to cure. Once the temperature drops, you’ll feel immense pain. You’ll only be fine in hot or moderately tempered places.”
Lin Huanhuan’s brows furrowed. “If that’s the case, why doesn’t the sect improve the environment here? I’m fine, but if an ordinary disciple catches this disease, it would be very difficult to handle.”
Ye Jinxiu shook her head and explained, “Actually, the environment here mimics a corner of the Endless Sea. Only this kind of place, combined with the formations within the secret realm, can produce Xuan Shui.”
“If it were completely natural, there wouldn’t be so many slots for ordinary disciples like us. A common heavenly treasure like Xuan Shui costs at least 500 spirit stones outside.”
“But within the sect, a slot to collect one portion of Xuan Shui only costs 150 spirit stones. Although you have to fight for a spot, it’s still several times cheaper than outside.”
Lin Huanhuan nodded with an ‘as I expected’ expression. “It’s pretty much what I guessed.”
Ye Jinxiu felt a bit speechless but didn’t expose her.
As they walked and talked, Lü Ye, who was following behind, was left dumbfounded.
‘Is this how the two of them usually interact? Are you kidding me?!’
When Ye Jinxiu was mocking Lin Huanhuan just now, Lü Ye had watched with a racing heart. So, when Lin Huanhuan questioned her coldly, Lü Ye had almost knelt down to distance herself from Ye Jinxiu.
In the end, to her complete shock, Lin Huanhuan hadn’t punished Ye Jinxiu at all. Instead, they were playing around as if they were flirting.
Her eyes nearly rolled out of her head in shock. ‘Shouldn’t the way Lin Huanhuan and Ye Jinxiu interact be master and servant?’
‘According to what I deduced before, as long as Lin Huanhuan is even slightly unhappy, she should punish Ye Jinxiu at will. Even if things were slightly unpleasant, it should be normal for her to be punched and kicked.’
‘Is it possible that what I’m seeing is some kind of illusion? How is that possible? The two of them are actually interacting like close friends. Are you kidding me?!’
Although her heart was full of doubt, even speculating if this was a performance for others while they maintained a master-and-dog relationship in private, the scene before her didn’t seem fake at all.
What followed was boundless jealousy. ‘Why? Why does this bitch get such good treatment? It’s bad enough her talent is better than mine, but she even managed to find such a good master.’
‘Damn it, if only it were me. Why can’t it be me? I’m not ugly; I’m only slightly inferior to Ye Jinxiu.’
Before long, her intense jealousy fueled a decision. ‘No, I have to steal Lin Huanhuan’s favor. How can I let Ye Jinxiu hog such a good thing?’
‘Right now, I’m walking with them, and they don’t know my goal. This is my best opportunity.’
‘Heh, Ye Jinxiu, obediently hand over your immortal path potential to me!’
Thinking of this, Lü Ye quickly hid her distorted expression, not wanting to expose herself. However, when she looked up, her body stiffened slightly.
“Hmph, what are you so proud of? You just know a little bit more than I do. You better sew your mouth shut. If you dare laugh again, I’ll beat you!”
“Fine, fine, I won’t laugh. Don’t be angry; it was just a joke. Why be so serious?”
Lü Ye’s gaze was nearly vacant. ‘They… haven’t noticed me at all. Have they forgotten about me already?’